Friends?
by Hiroakki
Summary: Kiu, a girl who has lost all her memory, ends up in the Sand Village where she is taken in by Mari's family. Mari becomes her best friend until Kiu starts asking her questions about the strange red-headed boy who always sits alone at the playground they go to everyday. One day, Kiu finally decides to approach him. Follows the main story! Review if you like it :D
1. The Red-Headed Boy

**Gaara's childhood friend! How's that going to change Gaara? :D**

**I really wanted to read a good story about that, but I didn't find many so I decided to make one!**

**If I get good reviews and stuff I'll continue it!**

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><p>Chapter 1: The Red-Haired Boy<p>

He's always sitting there, alone, by himself. I wonder why everyone is so afraid of him… He doesn't seem dangerous. I should ask Mari about that. She's my best friend after all. Well… only since like a week ago, since that's when her family found me outside, unconscious, with no memories of my past. Since then, she's been taking me along with her to the playground every day. The strange thing was that he was also always there. That boy with blood red hair, holding a teddy bear, sitting alone on the swing… I always want to approach him, but each time I try, Mari would just pull me away without telling me why. Today, we are playing with her other friends with a ball. She's pretty popular among the kids in this village.

"Hey, Mari…"

I want to know more about that red-haired boy…

"What is it, Kiu?"

She answers me cheerfully.

"Um… Well… I was always wondering why the boy over there is always alone…"

I point at the boy while asking her the question that's been on my mind. She immediately pulls my hand away.

"Are you crazy? Do you want him to kill us?"

She whispers frantically while pulling me further away from him. Kill us? Is that boy really able to do that? Why would he?

"Who is he?"

I'm still curious, you know.

"He's Gaara… The demon child…"

Demon child? He seems pretty innocent to me. I just think people are way too afraid of him for no apparently good reason.

"He doesn't seem that scary."

"You're not from here! You wouldn't understand!"

Mari is getting angry at me… I guess I should just drop the subject.

"Oh no! The ball!"

One of Mari's friends screams as the ball rolls to where Gaara is sitting.

"What do we do now…"

Mari looks terrified. She lets go of me and backs away even further from where Gaara is. He then picks up the ball and tries to give it back to us. That's my chance to approach him! I'm pretty sure none of the others will anyway. I run towards him to go take the ball.

"Kiu!"

Mari tries to stop me, but I'm already way too far ahead. Besides, she doesn't dare get any closer. Gaara looks at me and hesitantly hands me the ball. I take it from him and give him a cheerful smile.

"Thank you, Gaara!"

He looks really surprised. He smiles back after a bit though. I don't get how people are afraid of such a sweet looking little boy.

"Do you want to come play with us?"

I ask him. I want to get to know him better. Besides, he could make some friends if he approaches other people. I hear Mari's friends whispering around me.

"Is she crazy…?"

"He's going to kill her…!"

"She's an outsider, she doesn't know anything…"

"She's probably just as dangerous as he is…"

Gaara looks at me.

"I think… your friends won't be happy if I play with them."

He says with a sad face. Well if they won't play with him, I will. I turn around and throw the ball at them. Mari catches it and looks at me with a frightened face. I turn back to face Gaara.

"Then, let's just play together, you and me. Who needs them, anyway?"

"You… want to play with me?"

I nod and smile at him. He smiles back. I hear all the kids going away. Did Mari leave too? It doesn't matter. I'll just tell her how nice Gaara really is and we'll all be friends after that!

"So, Gaara, do you usually just sit around on that swing?"

"Yeah…"

"You know, I don't remember ever sitting on a swing before."

"Never?"

"Maybe I did, but I don't remember anything from my past."

"Where are your parents?"

"Parents? I don't know if I have any."

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologize, it doesn't really matter, since I don't remember a thing. Oh, by the way, I'm Kiu."

I extend my hand towards him, waiting for a handshake. He looks at it in confusion. Doesn't he know what a handshake is? I've seen Mari's parents do it when someone came to visit. Mari also did it when she first introduced herself to me. He's still looking at my hand. I should help him out. I reach for his hand and take it in mine. I shake it while grinning.

"That's how you shake hands, Gaara."

He looks so surprised. I wonder if he can help me out in riding a swing. He seems like he's an expert at it. I let go of his hand.

"Hey, Gaara…"

"What is it?"

"Can you… teach me how to ride a swing? It seems like it's fun, but I don't know how to do it."

"You can sit on it and I'll push you… if you want."

"You will? Thanks a bunch!"

I run to the swing and sit on it. Gaara rushes to my side and starts pushing the swing gently. Soon after, he pushes it harder and I start laughing in joy. This is so much fun! After a while, he stops. I get off the swing and give him a hug.

"That was so fun! Thanks, Gaara!"

"N… No problem…"

I pull away from him.

"Gaara… Can we be… friends?"

He looks surprised again. It's like a day full of surprises for him.

"Friends? With me?"

"Who else, you dummy?"

I grin at him and he smiles the brightest smile I've ever seen in my life. It's ever brighter than the one Mari had when one of the guys asked her to be his girlfriend. I think she's way too young for this, but really… Who am I to tell her that?

"So? Are we friends?"

"Of course!"

He answers cheerfully. Great! I'm friends with Gaara! I have a feeling we're going to be really good friends.

"It's getting really late. I should get back home before Mari's parents freak out."

That's what they usually do when Mari's late.

"Oh…"

Gaara looks down.

"Do want to walk me home? It's not that far."

Gaara immediately looks up and smiles. He nods and walks up to me. I take his hand and we head towards Mari's house.


	2. No Home

**Thanks for everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed! :D I never thought it'd be so fast O.O**

**So, as promised, here's chapter 2! From now on, I'll be updating weekly on every Friday.**

**Enjoy!~**

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><p>Chapter 2: No Home<p>

"Here we are!"

I point at Mari's house as we get closer to the door. I hear voices from inside. It's Mari and her parents.

"Mom, dad! We can't let her in our house anymore!"

"I know sweetie, I tried to convince your mother before that taking in a homeless girl would cause trouble eventually."

"I never thought she'd approach the demon child!"

"We're not responsible for her anymore. She might be even more dangerous. We don't know anything about who she is!"

It goes on like that for I don't know how long. Gaara's hand tightens around mine and I look at the ground. It doesn't seem like I'm welcome in that house anymore. I don't think Mari will want to be my friend anymore either. All this because I wanted to be Gaara's friend? Well… That won't stop me from being his friend.

"Kiu?"

I look up at Gaara who has a concerned look on his face. How can I just abandon him anyway? He's so worried, instead of being angry at them for doing this because of him.

"On second thought, I don't think I'll go home today."

I turn around and drag Gaara away from Mari's house.

"Kiu…"

After running for a bit, I finally stop. I look at Gaara and I feel tears welling up in my eyes.

"Even if they do that…"

My voice is all shaky. I can't control the tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Even if they do that, I'll still be your friend, Gaara. I'll never leave you! Ever!"

I start sobbing out loud. How could they be so unfair to Gaara? I just don't understand! They're all just trying to do all these mean things so that he never gets to have any friends. I'm going to change that! I bring my hands up to try to dry up my tears. I feel a pair of small arms wrap around my shoulders and pull me close. I take my hands away from my face to find Gaara hugging me. I wrap my arms around him and cry even harder. I also hear him sniffling a little. We stay like this for a while until we both calm down. We finally pull away and wipe away our tears.

"I'm sorry…"

Gaara apologizes. For what? He never did anything wrong!

"It's not your fault, Gaara. It never was."

"Kiu, thank you… For everything. You're the first person who ever wanted to be my friend… And now this happens…"

"It's alright, Gaara. I told you, it's not your fault. Besides, I'm sure things will work out. Besides, they weren't my family to begin with. I knew I wouldn't be able to stay long with them."

"You know, you can come to my place, if you want."

"You sure? Your parents won't mind?"

Gaara looks down.

"My dad… doesn't care about me."

Doesn't care about him? What does he mean by that? Does his dad treat him like everyone else does? He looks so sad about it, I shouldn't press the subject for now…

"Well, what about your mom?"

I'm sure she's not like that, right?

"I don't have a mom…"

"Oh… I'm sorry, Gaara…"

"It's okay, uncle Yashamaru takes good care of me. I'm sure he won't mind if you come over."

That's a relief. He has someone that cares about him. Besides me, of course…

"Lead the way, then!"

This time, Gaara's the one who takes my hand and brings me to where he lives. We head towards what I believe to be the Kazekage's mansion. I haven't been in this village for long so I don't even know who the Kazekage is supposed to be. All I know is that he's important and apparently rich.

"Isn't that the Kazekage's mansion?"

"Yeah. He's my father, you didn't know?"

"I've only been in this village for a week. I barely know anything about anything. All I know is that the Kazekage is some important person in the village. What is a Kazekage anyway?"

Gaara chuckles.

"A Kazekage is like the leader of the village. He's supposedly the most powerful ninja in the village."

"And you're his son? Shouldn't a leader who's responsible for a whole bunch of people be more caring towards his own son?"

Gaara shrugs. I guess there isn't really an answer for that. Or if there is, it's not something that simple to discuss. We finally arrive at the mansion and Gaara takes me inside. He drags me up the stairs. There are so many rooms in this place. Gaara finally stops in front of one of the rooms and opens the door. We both go in before he closes the door behind him. There are so many toys in this room!

"Gaara, is this your room?"

He nods. I've never seen so many toys in one place! This is awesome!

"Are all of these yours?"

"They are."

He doesn't really seem happy about the toys.

"You don't like them?"

"It's not that… I just don't like the person who got them for me."

"But… if that person got you all these toys, doesn't that mean that they care about you?"

"No… Not when they get you all these toys to keep you busy because they're too afraid you'd go on a rampage."

"Oh… well if you put it that way… Who needs those toys anyway? If the person who got them isn't worth it, then those toys aren't either!"

Gaara smiles at me and we both start putting all the evil toys away. Those toys got what they deserved! We both lie down on Gaara's bed, exhausted from all the cleaning up.

"You don't need those toys anymore, Gaara. Having me as your friend will keep away all that boredom!"

Gaara giggles.

"I bet."

"Who got you those toys, anyway?"

"…My father."

"Well that'll teach him not to do that sort of thing again."

"Thank you, Kiu."


	3. I'll Never Leave You

**Ok, I lied! I said I'd post on Friday, but I finished this chapter early, so I decided to just go ahead and post chapter 3 XD**

**Hope you enjoy it! :D**

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><p>Chapter 3: I'll Never Leave You<p>

Someone knocks on Gaara's door. We both get up from his bed and look at each other.

"Who do you think it is?"

I ask Gaara. Gaara shrugs and goes to open the door. A very kind looking man comes in. Is that his dad? I don't think so… He looks too nice to be his dad.

"Yashamaru!"

Oh, so that's Yashamaru.

"How have you been, Gaara? And who do we have here?"

I rush to Gaara's side and hide behind him a little. What? I get a little shy around strangers who are older than me!

"This is Kiu, my friend. She's going to be staying here with us."

Gaara seems much more cheerful around that man. He does seem like a really nice guy.

"Are her parents aware of that?"

Yashamaru crouches a little to be at Gaara's and my eye-level.

"I don't think I have any."

Yashamaru looks at me with a little surprise. I try to hide even more behind Gaara.

"She doesn't have any memories from her past."

"That's unfortunate… Well, you can stay here as long as you like. I'm sure Gaara will be happy with some company."

"Thank you…"

Even if I'm shy, I don't forget to be polite. I'm excited about this. It's like an infinite sleepover! Well, until I find my own place.

"Well, I'll leave you two together then, since I have a mission I need to attend to. Gaara, why don't you show Kiu around?"

"I'll show her the roof, too! It's where we can see all of the village!"

"Perfect, have fun you two."

He then leaves us alone. The roof? That sounds like fun! I finally get out from behind Gaara and stand next to him. He looks at me.

"Why were you hiding behind me?"

"…I'm a little shy sometimes! Deal with it!"

"You don't seem shy with me."

"You're different… Anyway, you talked about showing me the roof. Do you hang out there a lot?"

"Well, I spend most of my nights up there."

"Wait, you sleep on the roof?"

"I don't sleep…"

"At all?"

"Very rarely…"

"Why? How?"

"Well, you can say that there's this monster inside of me. It keeps me from sleeping. It's because of that monster that everybody's afraid of me…"

He looks down. He clenches his fists. A monster? So that's why everyone is acting all scared around him.

"Kiu, you didn't know?"

I shake my head.

"Are you… going to be scared of me too?"

He looks at me with a sad face.

"Well I'm not running, am I? So no. I won't be scared of you. You're my friend. Now show me that roof! From now on, you won't be spending your nights there alone, because I'll be there!"

Gaara instantly smiles after hearing that. He should smile like that all the time. I'll make sure he does!

Gaara takes my hand and takes me to where the roof is. We both stand close to the edge.

"Wow…"

"You like it?"

"This is awesome! You can see almost everything from up here!"

The houses in the village look like the doll houses that Mari and I used to play with. Gaara sits down on the edge, dangling his feet in the air. I do the same. I sit next to him on his left and playfully push his left leg with my right leg. He does the same and we both start giggling while having a mini feet war. I feel a cold breeze blow. Man, it's cold in the desert…

"Gaara, I'm cold."

Gaara moves closer to me until our sides are glued together.

"Better?"

His body heat is keeping me a little warmer.

"Definitely."

Just then, I hear something piercing through the air and getting closer to us. Before I could turn around, I hear the rustling of sand. Gaara seems alarmed. I look behind us all I see is sand standing behind us. Once it starts falling, I notice… Kunai knives? It seems like the sand stopped them from getting to us. Gaara stands up. He's looking at a man that's standing in the shadows, ready to throw more kunai knives at us. He's using some kind of weird magic trick to keep them floating in the air without touching them. Is that what people call jutsu? Gaara looks angry… and scared.

"Why… Why me…? Why is it always me?"

"Gaara…"

I get up and stand behind him. The man throws more kunai knives at us, but sand stops it again. Why is the sand doing that? Gaara then lifts his arm and… the sand moves along! So it's Gaara that's been controlling it! The sand then goes and wraps itself around the man in the shadows and… squashes him! The sound is sickening! The man is then dropped on the ground. Is he dead…? Gaara goes closer to the man. I follow closely behind. He takes off the man's mask and… it's… Gaara's uncle? Why? Why would he do that?

"Yashamaru…"

Gaara sounds like he's about to cry. I feel like I'm about to cry too… How could Yashamaru do something like this?

"Yashamaru… why? Why were you trying to kill me?"

"It was an order… By your father."

Blood is falling down from his mouth.

"Father? Why… would he want me dead…?"

Gaara… It feels like he's going to break down any second. I put my hand on his shoulder. He looks at me. He's… crying. I feel my own tears falling down my cheeks. His own father… How could a father ever order someone to assassinate his own son?

"You were born… to be possessed by the Sand Shukaku… Until today, you have been watched over as an experimental subject… However, you are yet unable to control the powers of the living spirit Shukaku… Before long, your existence will become too dangerous to the village itself… We simply couldn't let that happen…"

"Then… then you had no choice… It was because of father…"

Gaara looks back at Yashamaru.

"No… You're mistaken…"

What…? Did he actually want to go through with this?

"Yes, I did receive Kazekage-sama's orders… but… I would've declined if I wanted to…"

But he didn't decline… That means…

"Gaara… Deep down inside… I must've always… resented you for coming into this world, stealing life away from my beloved sister…"

Gaara lets out a hiccup. This is way too painful for him! How could anyone be so cruel!

"I tried my best to love you by thinking of you as her memento… but I couldn't…"

"Stop it!"

I can't take this anymore!

"Can't you see that you're making Gaara suffer? He never asked for any of this!"

Both of them look at me.

"Kiu…"

"You're a foolish little girl… Soon, you'll leave him too… When you notice how dangerous he is…"

"I'm not like you…"

"Nobody ever loved him and nobody ever will. Now… please die…"

Yashamaru opens his vest to reveal a bunch of papers. Before I could realize what they were, a big explosion occurs and the shockwaves send me flying to the edge of the roof. I think I hit my head… My ears are ringing from the sound of the explosion. I close my eyes to try to stabilize my breathing.

After a bit, the ringing in my ears starts to disappear and I hear… crying. Gaara's crying… I get up and get closer to Yashamaru's unrecognizable body. The smell is horrible. A terrible headache starts pounding in my skull and I feel as if something has entered me. My head… What is this? I get away from Yashamaru's dead body and the headache instantly leaves me. Did I get the headache because of the dead body? Wait… Somehow… I know how to use that technique he used to keep the kunai knives floating in the air. How's that possible? I never learned any jutsu before. I barely even know what a jutsu is! Well anyway, there are more important things right now.

I go to where Gaara is and notice blood coming down from his forehead. I crouch down in front of him and look closely at what's causing the bleeding. It looks like a kanji. Ai… Love. Gaara needs it the most right now.

"Gaara…"

"Get away from me!"

He pushes me and looks away. I get closer and hug him. I start crying too.

"And where would I go if I left…? You're the only person I have in this world… Don't push me away, Gaara… Please…"

Gaara sobs harder and buries his face in my clothes.

"What Yashamaru said… He's wrong… As long as I'm alive, I'll never leave you. I'll always love you Gaara…"

"Kiu… I'm sorry… I don't want you to go away…"

We stay like this until we both calm down and then we pull away.

"Haha… My clothes are soaked because of all the crying. Yours are too."

"Yeah… Kiu, you're bleeding!"

"I am? You are too…"

"Yeah, but you it's your head. I did it to myself, you didn't."

"It must've happened when I hit it from the explosion… Let's go inside and take care of all of this."

I take Gaara's hand and we both go inside. I'm still a little confused about what happened when I was close to Yashamaru's body. Can I really do that flying kunai technique? I'll have to talk to Gaara about it. He probably knows more about jutsu than I do.

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><p><strong>So, how was it? We're getting to know more about Kiu and the relationship between Gaara and her is growing!<strong>

**Review and tell me what you think :D**


	4. Gaara's Siblings

**Yay, Chapter 4! I was about to give up this story, but then I thought it'd be really irresponsible of me to do that XD**

**Besides, I'm getting positive feedback, so I should do an effort. Thanks again for all the positivity it really encourages me to write more! :D**

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><p>Chapter 4: Gaara's Siblings<p>

Since I have no clothes of my own, Gaara gave me some of his to change into. We both go get cleaned up and, somehow, I know how to bandage up my head and his forehead, even though it's the first time I do it. It's like… I know how.

"Akia, you're really good at it. Almost as good as… Yashamaru…"

"Yashamaru?"

So that's it… I must've absorbed that knowledge from him too. Is that how people learn jutsu? That's weird.

"Hey Gaara, how do you learn jutsu?"

"Jutsu? Well… It takes training, mostly. Other ways is when you have a Kekkei Genkai."

"A Kekkei Genkai? I feel like I've heard of it before…"

"A Kekkei Genkai is an inherited skill, a bloodline limit."

"Is your control over sand a Kekkei Genkai?"

"Not really… I have that control because of the Shukaku."

"…Is it normal for someone to learn jutsu by absorbing it from a dead body?"

"What…? I've never heard of something like that before. Why do you ask?"

"I think… that's what happened to me when… I got closer to Yashamaru's dead body…"

Even though I still didn't try the flying kunai technique, I just feel like I know how. I also know how to treat wounds almost at professional level when it's my first time ever treating it.

"Do you think that maybe it's like your clan's Kekkei Genkai?"

"You might be right…"

It could be my clan's Kekkei Genkai. I don't really remember anything about them so… It is a possibility. Does that mean if I'm close to a really strong ninja's dead body, then I'll become a really strong ninja too? That would be awesome! But then again, I don't like seeing people die…

"Kiu… I have a feeling that a lot of assassination attempts are going to come my way… It'll be dangerous for you to stay with me…"

"What are you trying to say? You want me to leave?"

"…It'd be safer for you."

"No it won't. You're the only person I have in this world… I only trust you… Besides, if anything happens, I know you'll protect me, right?"

"Of course! I'll do anything to keep you safe!"

"I know you will."

"You know, it's getting late. You should go to sleep. You can have my bed."

"You don't want to try to sleep too?"

"It's better if I don't…"

"At least sit next to me on the bed. I… don't want to be alone after all that's happened tonight."

Gaara pats my head and smiles.

"Alright, I won't leave you alone."

Good! I'm really scared after all that's happened. I mean, I saw a man die in front of me after trying to assassinate my best friend! I'm just happy that that friend is safe and sound… and that he's smiling again. I get up on Gaara's bed and he lies down next to me.

"I thought you said you weren't going to sleep."

"Lying down doesn't mean that I'll sleep."

"You got a point there."

We're both lying on our sides, facing each other. We take each other's hands into our own, finding safety and comfort in each other. I feel my eyelids becoming heavy. After a while, I finally end up falling asleep.

I open my eyes… My head feels groggy from hitting it last night… Where am I again? Oh, yeah… Gaara's room… Gaara… I look around. Where's Gaara? Gaara? Did something happen to him while I was asleep? No way! Gaara! I feel my panic rising. I have to find him!

I run towards his room's door and rush outside then… I bump into something or someone and fall on my butt.

"Ow…"

"Who are you?"

I look up and see a boy that looks older than both Gaara and me. He has similar hair to Gaara but his is brown.

"I… I'm… sorry… I…"

I'm being shy again… I need to go find Gaara, but I don't know how to tell this guy. I don't even know who he is! And he asked me about who I was… Should I tell him? I should… I mean he probably lives here, right? Or maybe… he's the one who took Gaara away! No… Gaara is probably much stronger than him…

"Hey! I asked you who you were, don't just space out like that!"

He flicks my forehead.

"Ow! That hurts!"

"What's going on here?"

A girl voice?

"Temari, there's a little brat here who came out from Gaara's bedroom and she won't say who she is."

The one he called Temari approaches us and looks at me, surprised to find me there probably… I feel tears welling up in my eyes. From the pain in my forehead, to the embarrassment of being in front of two strangers, and… to the fact that Gaara's not here. I then see a hand extend in front of me. I look up and realize that it's Temari's.

"Come on, get up."

I take her hand and she helps me get up.

"Wait, is she wearing Gaara's clothes?"

The guy comments while pointing at me.

"I… I didn't have any… clothes to change… so he gave me some…"

"Change? Why?"

Temari asks me while dusting off some dust that stuck to me from falling down.

"The real question should be how? I mean Gaara? Lending clothes to someone? Since when did he ever get that close to anybody without killing them?"

"Gaara's not like that!"

They both look at me, surprised that I actually had an audible voice. That guy made me angry! How could he talk like that about Gaara? I look down before continuing what I have to say.

"Gaara is… a very nice person…"

"Are we talking about the same person…"

"Shut it, Kankuro."

Temari punches Kankuro in the back of his head. That must hurt…

"So, are you like Gaara's friend?"

She asks me after looking back at me.

"Yeah… He's my best and only friend…"

They both look even more surprised than when they found me on the floor.

"Do you want to tell me about what happened yesterday, and why your head is bandaged?"

"Well… Someone… tried to assassinate Gaara yesterday… So…"

"Wait what? Why would someone want to assassinate Gaara?"

"All I understood was that Gaara's dad wanted him dead… because he was dangerous… But that's not true!"

I feel tears roll down my cheeks as I remembered the things that happened last night, and how Gaara was really hurt by it.

"It's alright, don't cry…"

Temari wipes away my tears.

"We still don't know who that kid is…"

I hear Kankuro mumbling under his breath. I should really answer them, I guess…

"I'm Kiu…"

"Where are your parents? Do they know that you're here?"

Temari asks me while brushing my hair with her fingers.

"I don't know… I don't remember… if I even have any parents…"

"Is this brat in her right mind?"

"Kankuro, I told you to shut up."

"Kiu…?"

That voice… Gaara! I look to my right and I find him standing a little further away from us. He's looking at us with a very confused face.

"G… Gaara…"

Temari stutters.

"Gaara!"

I cry out his voice as I run towards him and hug him. I sob as he pats my back to comfort me.

"What's wrong? What happened? Kiu? Why are you crying?"

"I… I thought you were gone! I thought someone hurt you!"

I sob harder.

"Don't worry, I was just trying to get some food for you, but then I heard you talking to… them."

I finally stop crying and I pull away from Gaara. I look at the two people who were talking to me before. They look really shocked… and scared.

"You mean Temari and Kankuro? They tried to help me… They were just confused seeing me in your room. Who are they though?"

"I'm his… older sister. Kankuro here is my little brother and Gaara's older brother…"

Temari stutters. That's why she's so nice. She's like Gaara. But Gaara is nicer… I don't get how Kankuro is Gaara's older brother though… He's nothing like him! He's so mean… But wait… Are his siblings also afraid of him? How could they be like that? They're family!

"How long is this brat… I mean, your friend is staying here?"

"I don't know."

Gaara answers his brother with a little hostility in his voice. I guess they really aren't on really good terms with each other.

"I think it's fine for her to stay as much as she likes… If you two are hungry, I'll go bring you something to eat."

"No…"

"Thanks, Temari! I was getting hungry."

I cut Gaara off since I am really hungry… Now that I think about it, last time I ate was yesterday at Mari's house… which seems like a really long time ago. Gaara looks down to the floor in front of his feet and starts fidgeting a little.

"Fine… Thank… you…"

He said that so quietly that I doubt if Temari actually heard him. I look up at Temari and I see a little surprise on her face. She then heads downstairs and I spot a little smile on her face. So she did hear it. Maybe deep down, she wants to be closer to her brother, but their dad probably keeps filling their heads with lies about Gaara. Gaara then takes my hand and brings me back to his room. Kankuro's eyes follow us as if we're from a different planet or something. I still can't believe him and Gaara are related.

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><p><strong>I've always seen Temari as a caring sister, even when she was afraid of Gaara. Don't you guys think so?<strong>

**Review and all that stuff :D Thanks for reading see you next week!~**


	5. If I Hadn't Met You

**I apologize in advance for how short this chapter is...**

**I hope the content makes up for it XD**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

><p>Chapter 5: If I Hadn't Met You<p>

"Hey, Gaara, what's the Academy?"

It's been a few weeks that I've been staying at Gaara's place, and I've been hearing Temari and Kankuro talking about the "Academy" all the time. They seem to be going to that place every day. It seems like a really important thing.

"The Academy? The one Temari and Kankuro go to?"

"Yeah… Is it an important place or something?"

"The Academy is a place where they train people to become ninjas. You learn how to fight and control your chakra to make simple jutsu."

"So… Temari and Kankuro are training to become ninjas?"

"Exactly."

"Are you going to go the Academy too?"

"I would but…"

Gaara looks down.

"They won't let you…?"

"Yeah…"

There should be a way to attend the Academy…

"What if we both apply? I mean, it would be good for both of us to control our abilities right?"

"There wouldn't be any problem if you apply, but they won't let me apply."

"But… I want both of us to go…"

We have to both get in. It might also help me know more about where I come from. It will also help Gaara control his sand better. He'll be so strong if he does. Maybe…

"Temari can help us!"

"Temari? She won't help…"

Why is he so against getting along with his siblings? Well… I understand not wanting to get along with Kankuro, but Temari really cares. She's just a little afraid to show it. Probably because of their dad…

"She will. I know she'll at least try."

"Kiu…"

"Too late!"

I get up and run out of Gaara's room and head for Temari's. I knock on her door and she opens is after a few knocks.

"Ah, Kiu? What's wrong? You need something?"

"Well… I have a favour… to ask you…"

"A favour…?"

"Yeah… You see, I know that you and Kankuro go to the Academy… and… well…"

"You want to go too?"

"Not just me… Can both Gaara and me go?"

"Gaara…?"

She avoids making eye contact with me.

"I think it'll be good for him to control his sand… I mean… He would be less feared if he doesn't lose control… when he's all emotional and stuff…"

Temari sighs and finally stops avoiding my pleading gaze.

"I guess you're right on that point… But, why do you want to become a ninja? Is it just to be with Gaara?"

"Well, that's one reason, but… I also want to know a little more about my weird power absorb jutsu from dead people… Maybe I'll be able to know more about who I really am…"

"You did say that you lost all of your memories… But, wait… How do you remember your name?"

"Oh… that… Well, Mari told me that when they found me, I was in a state of shock and I was mumbling 'Kiu, you have to get away. I have to get away.' I was probably repeating something that someone told me, well at least that's what Mari's parents assumed."

"Well, whatever you went through before must've been traumatizing enough to make your brain erase it all. You sure you want to know what happened to you before you lost your memory?"

"…I would like to know… So… can you help us out?"

Temari sighs again. She's sighing a lot more than usual.

"I'll go talk to father and try to convince him that it'll help Gaara be in better control. If that doesn't work, I'll go talk directly to the Academy. And if that doesn't work either, I really don't know what else to do."

I give her one of my biggest, happiest smiles.

"Thank you so much, Temari!"

I hug her tightly.

"Okay, okay, calm down there, Kiu!"

I let go of her and rush back to Gaara's room. I find him standing at the door.

"Were you eavesdropping?"

Gaara's face changes to a deep red and he looks flustered.

"N… No I wasn't!"

"You were, weren't you?"

I giggle as his cheeks turn a darker shade of red. They're so cute, I just want to kiss them! Or pinch them, one or the other. How about both? I pinch his cheeks, which makes them even redder.

"Ow, ow! Kiu, cut it out!"

I let go of them and kiss his right cheek.

"Wh-What was that for?"

"I don't know! I just couldn't help it, because I'm so happy and you cheeks were just so adorable."

He gives me a little smile as he rubs his sore cheeks.

"So… do you think we'll be able to get into the Academy?"

"Temari will do everything she can for us to go there, so I'm pretty sure we will."

"How come you're so optimistic about everything?"

"Because… Every time something bad happens, something much better comes out of it. I mean, if I wasn't kicked out of Mari's house, I wouldn't be here, with you, all the time. And now, we're going to both attend the same Academy to become strong ninjas and we'll be best friends forever! How to not be optimistic when thinking of all this?"

Gaara smiles a much bigger smile and nods.

"You're right, I don't know what I would've ended up being if I hadn't met you…"

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><p><strong>Review and tell me what you guys think of how the story is going so far!<strong>

**Do you like Kiu? I find that she's one of the brightest characters I created,**

**As always, thanks for reading, and see you next week! :D**


	6. Gaara's Father

**I ****literally wrote this chapter at the last minute... I am so busy with school, and I'm probably getting a job soon so it's going to be really hard to post weekly :(**

**I hope you still like this chapter nonetheless!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 6: Gaara's Father<p>

"So, I talked to father…"

Gaara, Temari, and I were gathered in Gaara's room. She's finally starting to open up to her brother a little. And now, she is going to tell us if we can attend the Academy.

"And? What did he say?"

I'm a little nervous about the answer to my question, but I really want to know if our request was granted. Gaara also looks eager to know. He's been fidgeting since Temari came in.

"He… didn't agree…"

No way… Gaara looks down.

"I knew it… He will never agree to letting me be around other people…"

"Gaara…"

I take his hand in mine. I look back a Temari.

"Isn't there any other way?"

"Well… He said that he wanted to meet you… then, he said that you might change his mind."

"Meet me…?"

"No!"

Gaara firmly says while frowning.

"But Gaara, it could be the only way."

"I won't let Kiu anywhere near him."

Temari lowers her gaze. She's kind of right, though. It could be the only way.

"I'll meet him."

"I won't let you…"

"Don't worry, Gaara. He only wants to talk. Besides, Temari is going to be with me."

"…Fine."

He's still frowning. I hate making him angry, but there's no better choice right now. Maybe I can actually make his father accept him? That would be awesome too! Temari gets up and heads for the door. She then turns around and looks at me.

"You're coming?"

"Oh! We're meeting him now?"

"Better get things done quickly, don't you think?"

"R… Right."

I wasn't expecting it to be so quick… I'm kind of nervous… I look at Gaara and he has this expression of shock and worry, while looking at Temari in disbelief. That's a lot of emotions in just one look. I wonder how I'm so good at reading his expressions. In fact, he's the only one that I can immediately understand how he feels. Well, this is not the time to daydream! I need to get this conversation with Gaara's dad over with. I go and follow Temari who leads me down the stairs. We go through a bunch of halls and then we arrive in front of a closed door.

"Now, Kiu. I want to tell you a few things that you should take into consideration when being around the Kazekage. First, you have to always address him as Lord Kazekage. Second, you can't interrupt him under any circumstances. Finally, you have to always agree with what he says and not openly oppose him. Got it?"

I nod, even though I completely blanked out at everything she just said. Mostly because it was too much information for my brain to take… It's probably also because I'm really nervous right now… But I have to talk to him… For Gaara's sake. Temari knocks on the door.

There's a short silence, until a voice comes from the other side of the door.

"Come in."

I gasp a little. I'm way more nervous than I thought. My hands are sweating, my knees are slightly shaking, and my mouth is dry. My voice will also be probably really shaky too. Temari opens the door and goes in first. I follow closely behind her. I look past Temari and I find some kind of see-through curtain that separates us from a man wearing a long white robe, with a white and blue hat. Looking at him more closely, he has similar features to Kankuro. He's sitting on a pillow, with two people sitting on each side of him. I bet those two are ninja.

"Lord Kazekage, I have brought Kiu here to you, as you requested."

Wow, Temari sounds so formal talking to her own father. Are they always like that? Do Kankuro and Gaara also act this way around their father? I bet Gaara doesn't even get close to his father. He doesn't like him very much with all those murder attempts.

"So… This is the girl who's been living in my house for the past few weeks."

He's talking about me isn't he… I feel like my tongue is stuck in my throat; I can't seem to be able to say anything.

"Yes, Lord Kazekage. Her name is Kiu."

"Kiu…"

"Y… Yes sir…"

I was able to say something! Man, that took so much energy… I look up at the Kazekage and find him staring right at me. I instantly lower my gaze.

"From what Temari told me, you are trying to attend the Academy with Gaara. Correct?"

"Yes…"

My voice is so small right now that I'm surprised he can actually hear it.

"Why?"

Why? I wasn't expecting him to ask me why! Now I have to actually give an answer that's longer than two words! Well, I want to say that it's because he has every right to attend the Academy, that I want to be able to attend it with him because we're best friends, and that it will be good for him so that he gets good control over his sand.

"Well… Why not…?"

Great… That's all I am able to say after all that thought process!

"You do know that he's a monster, don't you?"

A monster? That's one thing Gaara isn't!

"All I know is that there's a monster inside of him… That doesn't mean he's a monster."

I feel Temari nudging me. I look up at her and I see her putting her index finger on her lips. She wants me to shut up? But… I can't shut up if someone is badmouthing Gaara!

"Interesting. You are certainly the only person that thinks in that particular way. At least, the only person who firmly believes that."

The only one? I'm sure Temari also thinks like me, right? Maybe not before, but, now, she's actually less afraid of Gaara, and she tries to take care of both of us as much as she can.

"It will be quite interesting to see how you two try to fit in at the Academy."

Wait… Is he agreeing to let us attend the Academy?

"But I warn you, if I get any complaints regarding Gaara putting the life of the other students in danger, both of you will be… terminated."

Terminated? What does that mean? Whatever it is, it sounds pretty bad. But we made it! Gaara and I will be able to attend the Academy together, and become strong ninja. Then, we'll be best friends forever! This is exactly how I imagined it! Except the terminated part… I'll have to ask Temari about that.

"Lord Kazekage, are you sure about this?"

Temari's voice is shaking a little. Is terminated such a bad thing?

"Temari, I have made my decision. They will both start attending the Academy next season. Which is, conveniently, next week. I will talk to the Academy about letting Gaara attend, and ask them to relate to me every move he makes. It is all for the sake of the village."

"…Yes, Lord Kazekage."

"You are both dismissed."

Temari takes my hand and drags me out of the Kazekage's office. When she closes the door, she looks at the floor.

"Was this such a good idea…?"

"What do you mean, Temari? Isn't that what we wanted?"

"Kiu, you don't get, do you?"

"What do you mean? All I didn't get was the terminated part, other than that it all sounded pretty good!"

"It is that part that makes everything bad! He means that he's going to have you both killed if Gaara loses control and puts someone in danger! You know how easily that could happen…"

"…Kill us?"

Man, that's harsh… I didn't really get it at first, but now that Temari told me…

"Gaara won't do that."

That is what I firmly believe, though. I know Gaara won't put anyone's life in danger.

"How would you know? It's out of anyone's hands, even Gaara's…"

"Gaara can control it! He's stronger than you think!"

"…Kiu. I really hope you're right."

"Let's keep it a secret from Gaara, though. I don't want him to worry."

"Yeah, you're right. We can't have him lose control over his emotions."

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><p><strong>Yay! Attending the Academy!<strong>

**By the way, am I the only one who's really sad that Naruto is ending soon? I mean, really? I was in shock when I heard the news...**

**But Naruto will always have a special place in my heart!**

**Tell me what you guys thought of the chapter :D**

**Review! :)**


	7. First Day

**So sorry that I'm not updating more often...**

**It may sound like an excuse, but finals are really close, so I'm basically swimming in a pile of projects and papers to write.**

**I hope this chapter is interesting enough to compensate for the lack of updates!**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

><p>Chapter 7: First Day<p>

"So, you did it?"

Gaara looks a little surprised that we were actually able to convince the Kazekage to letting us go to the Academy.

"How many times am I supposed to repeat it to you?"

"Are you… sure? So… We can attend the Academy?"

"Yes, Gaara! Aren't you happy? We'll be together the whole time while learning cool new moves and we'll become super strong together!"

Gaara's face starts to slowly switch from a surprised look to a wide smile. He then runs towards me and, before I could react, he gives me a huge hug, which makes us both fall on the ground. He doesn't let go, though. I've never seen him so happy, I can't help but laugh out of joy.

"Kiu! Y-You did it! We're going to go the Academy together! You're the best!"

"I'm glad you're happy Gaara, but you're a little heavy!"

I was saying this while giggling. I'm also really happy about this situation, but, at the same time, in the back of my mind, the Kazekage's words echo… Terminated… We just have to be careful! Besides, Gaara won't easily go down, he's way too strong.

"Well, I'm going to leave you two to your celebrations. I have some things I need to attend to."

Temari gets up and heads for the door. I really should thank her for everything. After all, without her, we wouldn't have been able to even consider the possibility of attending the Academy.

"Temari!"

She turns around and looks at me.

"Thank you… for everything…"

Her eyes widen a little bit. Then I hear a little mumbling from behind me. A little mumbling that sounds like a 'thank you'. Temari's eyes widen even more. She heard it too! It was Gaara wasn't it!

"Y… You don't have to thank me! I did it because I wanted to! Anyways, if you ever need anything, just tell me!"

She leaves in a hurry.

"Hey, Kiu?"

I turn around to look at Gaara, who's still smiling.

"Yeah?"

"Well, when are we going to go to the Academy?"

"Next week!"

His smile disappears and panic runs through his face.

"W-What? Next week? Isn't this going too fast? How are we supposed to get ready for this?"

"Stop panicking, we'll just go and see when the time comes."

"How come you're so calm about this? You're not worried?"

"Not really. I'm just really looking forward to it! I mean, we'll learn so many new things, and meet so many new people, and get so many new friends!"

"…Friends? I don't think that'll happen… Not as long as you hang out with me…"

"Well then, it's their loss! I won't ever leave you, even if no one ever talks to me again. As long as you still want me as your friend, I'll always be."

Tears start welling up in Gaara's eyes.

"Kiu… We'll always be together right? No one will ever break us apart right?"

I hold Gaara's shoulders and look him straight in the eyes.

"No one ever will! I promise you, Gaara. I'll always be there!"

A small smile appear on Gaara's face and he nods. I smile back. Gaara, I really will always stay with you. Nothing will ever make me leave you.

It's finally today… The day that Gaara's been worrying about for the past week… Now that it's actually here, I'm a little bit worried myself…

We haven't let go of each other's hands since we left the Kazekage mansion. Now, we're in front of the Academy, standing a little far from all the other kids. It's mostly because the kids and their parents didn't really want to stand too close to Gaara. Now that I think of it, we're the only ones that don't have our parents with us. The Kazekage probably doesn't want to show up… Oh well, we'll just have to deal with everything by ourselves! We don't need to depend on anyone but each other.

My gaze wonders over all the kids that will probably be in the same class as us. I recognize some of them that Mari introduced me to when we were still friends.

"Come on, Mom, Dad! We're going to be late!"

Wait… I recognize that voice… It's coming from behind me. Could it be? This is definitely Mari's voice. I turn my head around and I see her dragging her parents along with her. She doesn't notice Gaara and me, and heads for where all of her friends are. She's still as popular as ever.

"Kiu… Are you alright?"

I turn my head to face Gaara. He's worried… He probably noticed Mari, too.

"Don't worry, I'm over it! I mean, I have a much better friend now, anyway."

That's true, and I do believe in what I just said, but it still hurts to be betrayed by the person you thought was your friend.

"If you say so…"

I turn my gaze back to Mari, who's now engaged in some kind of conversation with her group of friends. I notice how one of them is talking to her and pointing at us. She turns her head towards where the guy pointed at. Our eyes meet. She then almost immediately starts dragging her friends further away so that we don't see them anymore. It's just as I thought. She definitely doesn't think of me as a friend anymore. More than anything, I think that it's the reason behind why she's ignoring me that makes me the most angry. If me being Gaara's friend is making her that way, then she's not worth being friends with.

"Ow, Kiu! You're squeezing my hand a little too much…"

"Oh! Sorry about that, Gaara…"

I loosen my grip on his hand. I guess I unconsciously squeezed his hand a little too much…

"Hey, is that our sensei?"

I turn my gaze to where Gaara is looking. I see a man coming out of the Academy. He's a little tanned, and he's wearing a headband. I think it's what all ninja wear. His hair is brown and very short that it looks like a lot of little spikes are sticking out of his head. He takes out a sheet of paper and clears his throat.

"Hello everyone, I will be one of the sensei of some of the new students. If I call your name, it means that I will be your sensei until you graduate. When I call your name, come to the front."

"Wait, there's more than one class?"

I whisper to Gaara.

"If that's the case, then… we might not be in the same class?"

Gaara looks at me with a worried face.

"No, we'll definitely be together!"

"Ahem… So, the students that will be in my class are…"

He says a few names, from which I recognize only Mari's.

"And… G-Gaara…"

The teacher hesitates at Gaara's name. There are a few whispers of shock. Gaara looks at me with a panicked face.

"Go on, Gaara. It'll be alright, I'll be there when he calls my name."

We finally let go of each other's hand, and he starts walking forward. People immediately got out of his way. It was more like they were running away… I follow him until I at the front of the crowd of kids and parents still waiting. He keeps looking at me with a lot of worry apparent on his face. I just give him a smile, trying to be as positive as possible.

The sensei calls out other names, but mine still doesn't show up. What if we really won't be in the same class? I can't let Gaara be alone in the same class as Mari and her group of friends! Who knows how horrible they'll be to him? I have to protect him from all their evil schemes! I can't just leave him alone!

"Kiu? Is Kiu here?"

Wait, what? Was that my name? Did I not hear it because I was worrying too much? I look up at Gaara and he motions for me to come over. It seems like he's been trying to get my attention from the first time the teacher said my name.

"Is Kiu here?"

"Y-Yes! It's me… Sorry…"

I go up in front and stand next to Gaara.

"W… Well, pay more attention next time."

"Yes, sir…"

He's probably surprised that I chose to stand next to Gaara, since everyone else was at least standing two peoples' length away from him. I'm just glad we're in the same class.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading!<strong>

**Review, please :D**

**I really love knowing what you guys think!**


	8. Ex-Friend, New Enemy

**Sorry again for taking so much time to update!**

**After I'm done with finals, I'll be posting more often.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 8: Ex-Friend, New Enemy<p>

"Hey Gaara, let's take the seat back there next to the window!"

Gaara nods and lets me drag him up to where the seat is. Right when I reach the row where I wanted to sit, I see someone rush in front of me and shove me out of the way. Even though the shove was pretty strong, I managed to keep my balance.

"Hey…!"

I look at the person who pushed me, and I see Mari and a guy that I've never seen before take the spot that I wanted. She completely ignores the fact that I'm there.

"Kiu, are you alright?"

I turn my head and find Gaara looking at me with a worried face.

"Yeah, I'm fine…"

I look back at Mari and glare at her. She's still not paying attention to me. I start seeing sand slowly making its way towards Mari and the boy she's with. No way… Gaara wouldn't…! Wait, where is that sand coming from anyway? I look around and find out that the windows are open. Well that explains it… My attention goes back to Gaara, who looks pretty angry. If I don't stop him, his dad will learn about this and… Without thinking any further, I take his hand and drag him to some other seats which happen to be in front of those I wanted.

"Here, Gaara! This is a much better place!"

I make him sit down in the seat closest to the window, and I sit next to him. He looks at me with a surprised face.

"Kiu… Are you sure?"

"Yeah, trust me. I mean, look at that view!"

Okay, the view is nothing special, but I just need to get his attention away from Mari and her friend.

"Is everyone seated?"

The teacher starts scanning the room with his eyes, looking for anyone who might not have found a seat yet. I look around and find that there is a girl who's looking around nervously. She has short light green hair, and yellowish eyes. She's also wearing huge round glasses that almost reach all the way down to her mouth. I notice that the only seat available is next to me. She's probably scared to come here…

"You're Yukari, right?"

The sensei is probably addressing that girl. She lets out a small gasp, and looks at the sensei while fumbling around with her feet.

"Um… Yes… That's my name…"

She stutters a lot. She's probably really shy.

"Well, Yukari, why don't you go sit there next to Kiu?"

More than a question, it sounded more like an order… Yukari looks at the floor and slowly nods. She makes her way to the row that we're sitting in. She looks at me, and I give her a cheerful smile. I feel like I need to make her know that I'm actually a friendly person. She gives me a shy smile, and sits next to me.

"Now that everyone is finally seated, I will talk to you about the classes you'll be taking during your time here. You will have school six days a week, unless there is a special circumstance…"

The sensei goes on about what the special circumstances might be. Ow! Something hit the back of my head… I rub my head and look at the floor behind me. A pen? Did the person behind me drop it? I pick it up and turn around to give it to whoever dropped it. It's Mari… I put it on her desk, and she looks at me with a lot of disdain. I turn back to the front.

A few minutes later, something hits the back of my head again. I turn around again, and it's the same pen. Is she doing this on purpose? Good thing Gaara is fully concentrated on what sensei is saying, because he would've probably been really angry if he found out that Mari is hitting me with her pen. Well, I just won't pick it up then. She won't be getting it until the end of class.

A few seconds later, I feel something hitting my head again. I turn around and find an eraser on the floor. Is she going to do that with every single thing she has? If I ignore her, maybe she'll stop…

"Kiu, is everything alright?"

Gaara whispers to me. He doesn't know that Mari's bothering… Let's keep that way.

"Nothing! Let's pay attention to what the teacher is saying."

Throughout the whole time that the teacher was talking, Mari was throwing all sorts of things at me. Yukari started to notice that something was wrong, but I told her to not say anything.

"Now that I've told you everything you need to know about how things at the Academy work, we're going to go training for the next four hours. It'll only be basic physical training to build up your bodies and endurance."

Good… I was starting to lose my patience with Mari. We all start getting up to follow sensei.

"Kiu, can I talk to you for a bit?"

Was that Mari? I turn around and I see her giving me a fake smile. She's up to no good… She always gave those smiles to the people she really didn't like. What did I do to make her hate me so much?

"Why?"

Gaara stands in front of me in a protective way. Mari's smile fades away to a fearful grimace. I have to get him away from them... I can't have him lose control.

"Hey, Gaara, let's go before sensei leaves us behind! Come on, you too, Yukari."

I take Gaara's hand and Yukari's hand and drag them away from Mari and her friend. She'll probably try to get back at me for this… I shouldn't start worrying about that now, though.

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><p><strong>Review! :D<strong>


	9. Comrades

**I finally wrote this chapter! I know I took forever... I have no excuse...**

**I hope this chapter makes up for it, though!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 9: Comrades<p>

"Everyone, we will begin by doing a few basic fitness exercises to increase your physical strength and stamina. This will be a daily routine, and I will gradually give you more advanced exercises. To start, run 20 laps around the school. Last one to arrive will be on cleaning duty."

No way! I hate cleaning! I don't even know how to clean! Well, I should just focus and make sure I'm not last. I also have to make sure that Gaara isn't last, either. And Yukari too… She seems really frail, I hope she'll do well.

"Hey, Yukari, good luck!"

She looks at me with a concerned face and nods.

"You too, Kiu."

I smile at her and give her a pat on the shoulder. Does she count as a new friend now? I feel like we'll be good friends! Gaara doesn't seem to mind her either. I look at Gaara, and encourage him too.

"Make sure you're not last either, Kiu."

Gaara says to me while smiling. Even though it doesn't show, I'm actually really confident in my physical ability! Maybe the family I used to have trained me really well… I'm pretty sure I'll end up being one of the first ones.

"On your marks…"

This is it! I'll show everyone just how strong I really am!

"Get set…"

I should keep a good pace, without wasting too much energy.

"GO!"

All of us start running. After a few laps, a lot fall back. I look around, making sure that Gaara and Yukari are still close. Gaara didn't seem to have any difficulty. In fact, he was starting to get faster than me. Well, he's got a lot of stamina! Now, where's Yukari? I take a peek behind me, and I find her, doing her best to stick close. She's starting to look a little tired, though… Is that Mari behind her? Yukari starts to lose her pace, but Mari isn't. In fact, she's almost past Yukari when…

"Move it, dork!"

She pushes her aside, causing Yukari to fall on the ground. Yukari! What should I do? I should help Yukari! But… I'll definitely be last if I do that… But Yukari's my friend! That's right! I stop running, and go back to where Yukari fell.

"Yukari, are you alright?"

"Kiu! You're going to be last if you don't keep running."

"So what? I'm not going to abandon a friend. Can you stand up?"

"I think…"

I try to help her up, but she lets out a pained scream.

"I think I twisted my ankle…"

Now what… I look around to find sensei.

"Sensei, my friend fell…"

"So?"

"She's hurt…"

"Until the end of this exercise, she will have to manage. A ninja should never abandon a mission, no matter what happens, and that also goes for Academy exercises. Now go back to running."

"Yes sir…"

I should hurry and find a way to help Yukari before Gaara finds out… If he does, then he'll also end up last with us. I know! I'll give her a piggyback! I go back to where Yukari is.

"Hey, Yukari, get on my back!"

"What? No way! I'm too heavy for you!"

"Don't underestimate me…"

"You sure…?"

After some convincing, she finally gets on my back, and I start running again. Strangely enough, she's much lighter than I thought she would be. It's actually not that much harder running with her on my back. How come it's so easy? I start catching up to all the people who passed us. I finally start seeing Mari's back. If I get past her, it'll be as if this incident never held us back. After a few seconds, I finally catch up to Mari. I don't even have time to check her reaction, because I'm so concentrating on getting good results on this exercise. My goal is to catch up with Gaara, even though it's practically impossible, considering he's almost the first one… He's like half a lap ahead. We have about five more laps to go. I probably won't make it to the top three, but I'll be in the top five for sure. I pass a few more people, and it's finally the last lap.

"We're almost there, Kiu! You can do it!"

Yukari's encouragement makes try my hardest to keep my pace up. This is actually getting really tiring. My legs are starting to feel sore. I can't give up now. Finally… Almost there…

"Kiu, you did it!"

I almost collapse after having reached the end of the lap. That was tough… I go to where all those who finished are standing, with Yukari still on my back. I'm sweating like crazy, and my breathing is really heavy. I spot Gaara, and go to where he is. When he sees me, he rushes to me, and looks at me with a worried expression.

"Kiu, what happened?"

"Yukari… twisted… her ankle…"

I say while panting. Gaara uses his sand to slowly take Yukari off my back, and slowly sits her on the ground. Right after I feel Yukari's weight off my back, my legs give in and I fall on my butt, while heavily panting. I go sit next to where Yukari is sitting, and give her a high five.

"Told you not to underestimate me…"

"Thank you so much, Kiu. You're really something."

Gaara comes over and sits next to me.

"You're going to both be okay, right?"

"Don't worry about me, Gaara. It's Yukari's ankle that's more important right now…"

I take a look at her ankle, and I find out how I'm supposed to take care of it, as if all the knowledge was already there in my brain, even though it's the first time I see a twisted ankle. I've only heard of it, and how it's painful. Then again, I remember how I was able to treat both Gaara and my wounds after absorbing Yashamaru's medical knowledge. I wonder if I was also able to absorb that flying kunai technique. I'll probably know when I use some kunai knifes. As for Yukari's ankle, it doesn't seem too serious. It should heal in a few days, if she rests, and it should get bandaged, too, to keep it in place. I'm pretty sure someone more qualified than me will do that for her.

Finally, everyone finishes their laps, and a boy with shoulder length brown hair ends up last. I think his name is Yuto. He seems like the type of guy who just doesn't want to give his all in anything. I guess that's probably why he ended up last. Sensei finally comes to us when everyone finished.

"Well, I see that everyone made it. I was very impressed with some of you, while others really disappointed me. Hurting your comrades is unacceptable as a ninja. If I catch you again, I won't let it slide so easily."

Heh! He's probably talking about Mari. Let's hope she gets it.

"As a ninja, you should always place the mission as your first priority. However, if your comrades are in danger and you are confident that you will be able to help them without it hindering the mission, then you should go to their aid. Then again, if it does hinder the mission, you will have no choice but to leave your comrades behind."

…Leave them behind? Is that really what a ninja should do?

"Now, this ends your first day. As I said, the last one who arrived, Yuto, will be in charge of cleaning up the classroom. You may all go home now."

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